Beautiful Evil
by PuttyNumber6
Summary: The female of the species is more deadly than the male. Especially when that species is evil.


Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. Kali and Dorlek are mine.

Prologue  
By PuttyNumber6 

  
  
Aerteni,  
Two thousand years before Master Vile's birth

  
  
Aerteni was a small planet far from Earth. Circled by two moons in cosmic dance around a single blue star. It was a planet with a history, one that had left portions of the surface incapable of supporting life. Not even weeds could survive the harsh environment where evil had tainted the soil, water and air. It had been this way for as long as anyone could remember, at least as long as the planet's second had been turned from a life rich environment into a cold rock barely a third of its original size.

There had been attempts to colonise the unpopulated parts of the planet and turn them into useful resources. Such plans never succeeded, the environment was too harsh for the machinery needed to turn such a barren landscape into an acceptable climate. Over time it had simply been accepted that the planet did not want those area turned into productive areas instead of festering wounds.

The history of Aerteni was lacking at best. Official records had disappeared during a mass purge of the Galactic Council's repository. Some of the remaining documents suggested that a war had been fought between the force of good and evil, just as they had been fought on many over worlds. For some reason though the war on Aerteni had been fought at a high price and the planet had never recovered. There had been no survivors to confirm the events surrounding the planet's condition; the population had vanished.

Appearances can be deceptive though and in the case of Aerteni; the failure to look beyond outward appearances and explain the area of dead ground allowed a secret to fester as it had for quarter of a million years. Aerteni had indeed been the location of a great battle. It had been a war that had shaken the planet and its moons to the brink of destruction and had robbed the planet of all its inhabitants.

They hadn't died. Such a fate would have meant the war had ended with a clear winner. In truth there was no clear winner. The forces representing light and justice were wiped out at their own hands. They had banded together to end the battle and if not destroy, then at least imprison the forces of darkness and chaos. An ancient and extremely primitive form of magic had been used, sacrificing the lives of the righteous to create a golden wave that sealed the wicked beyond the physical plane. The pure of heart died while the evil they had sought to destroy had only been contained.

Such was the backlash of the spell used that vast areas of the planet were soaked with the tainted blood of war. The ground was poisoned and the air polluted. The first moon was shattered; creating a cloud of debris that bombarded the second moon. Both lunar satellites were shifted in their orbits making them cold and lifeless.

~*~

Far away from the mundane destruction of their world, the forces of darkness had settled. The barrier of light made it impossible for them to leave the folded space that had become their prison for the last quarter of a million years. Until they could find a way to break through the barrier they would remain in their state of perpetual torture. In this place they were neither alive nor capable of escaping through death. They just existed!

Their ruler, a sorcerer known as Dorlek still tried to break their prison's walls. His power had been incredible before they had been sealed away. Back then he had shared his essence with the demon Albion. Such a bond had made him and all those that followed his banner incredibly powerful. The bond had been broken by the barrier, which prevented evil from entering as well as leaving.

Still Dorlek remained as leader, his own powers exceeding those of his subordinates and the memories of things he had done during the first years of their imprisonment fresh in the survivors' minds. He was truly feared and that fear kept him safe from his followers' instinct to kill him.

He sat on a throne made from the bones of those who had trapped him. Every last person he thought responsible had been tortured for information of how to escape. He had performed acts that were too sick for many to watch and had personally slain his victims when their usefulness and entertainment value had diminished. 

Some had had the skin stripped from their body by magic, some had witnessed their organs removed by the blade he kept strapped on his back after using it to peel away their flesh, and in a few cases he had torn away the flesh with his bare hands before clawing out their eyes. All had been conscious when he had done so and remained aware for hours afterwards. Those who were allowed to bleed had almost drowned in their own fluids. Those that were unfortunate enough to have a spell delaying the physical signs of their injuries screamed when it was lifted and the full effects were felt.

He had eventually killed them by draining every drop of magical, psychic and cosmic energy from their bodies. With each death he had grown ever stronger, assimilating any unusual abilities while absorbing their energy. But even the combined power of all those he had drained wasn't enough to create the vast amount of dark power needed to break the barrier.

Over time some of his followers had vanished. The barrier somehow prevented death, but could not stop creatures made of magic from fading as their determination faltered and their dedication to Dorlek dwindled. Of the generals he had commanded during his freedom, only forty or so survived. Their forces remained as strong as ever though the weaker creatures in their arsenal had been exposed and destroyed. Those that remained were the strongest of Dorlek's generals. 

All they sought was freedom. But despite the reluctance they felt the question had to be asked: could Dorlek stand a chance of destroying the barrier. The last of the light wizards had spoken briefly of the need for an explosion of dark energy to crack the wall and Dorlek had thrown everything in his arsenal at the wall only to have it repelled. His troops were questioning his abilities and Dorlek could not argue with them. For unknown to his servants and even his wife Kali, Dorlek was dying.

Every being is born with some level of magical potential stored within their body, even if that potential is zero. When the need arises they can use that store to perform magical deeds. When the store is emptied it takes time to return to its normal level. With practice and experience some can even reach their full potential although for most the demands of doing so are too extreme. But no matter whether they had a small potential or the ability to become the greatest magical being in the Universe, it was impossible for the body to gain power beyond its full potential and remain the same.

When forced to contain more power than it can hold the body has two choices. It could adapt and change into a shape that could hold the new power. Usually such a solution made the body larger bringing practical advantages to the individual from both a magical and physical standpoint. However despite being the preferred solution it was the less common outcome and only occurred when potential was exceeded due to stress.

The more likely effect of the body containing more power than it could potentially hold is that the magic overloaded the body, causing the cells to breakdown prematurely. In some cases it could make a man of twenty appear fifty, but in extreme cases the effects were such that the body became too fragile to do anything with the magic it possessed. In such cases the body was maintained by the very magic it coveted so much to a point where even such destructive quantities could not prevent the inevitable destruction of the body. On those occasions the individual and much of their surroundings simply vanished.

Dorlek was a man who had exceeded his body's natural capacities. In his youth he had been a powerful man and a skilled warrior who relied on his body first and foremost. But he had grown to love the use of dark magic and had been corrupted by its power. Over centuries he had preserved his life until the battle that had sealed him away from the Universe he sought to dominate. Since then he had continued to increase his magical limits, using the energies of the recently departed as a quick way of building up power.

During his imprisonment his will had remained strong and his determination could never be questioned. His body had grown weaker and weaker until he had been forced to use illusion charms to hide his infirmity from his followers. His forces believed in the traditional principles that the most powerful should lead. The loss of his physical strength effectively robbed him of his right to rule.

His body had continued to decay over the centuries. At first his skin had turned blue and then started to thin. His muscles had disappeared and his bones had crumbled. His skin, what was left of it, was brittle and clammy; his face little more than a yellow skull with empty red eyes. He had taken to wearing a thick woollen cloak to cover his overly exposed body. In his prime he had been able to survive wearing just boots, trunks and a hood made of purple leather.

Yet despite his physical decline he continued to grow powerful. His magic was unsurpassed even though he was as helpless as a kitten. He was more reliant on his loyal followers and the forces at their disposal than he wanted them to believe. Any show of weakness could cost him his life.

Unfortunately for Dorlek, his powers never equalled that of all the light wizards who had conspired to create the barrier. He was close, but to break through would in his opinion require more energy than he could ever hope to hold.

~*~

Queen Kali watched her husband carefully. She had also extended her powers beyond her potential by siphoning off some of Dorlek's magic whenever he tried to increase his power. While Dorlek had been foolish, she had been cautious. The magic he tried to store inside his body she channelled into her clothing, her jewellery and the metal staff her husband had created for her. The glowing orb at the tip of the staff swirled with more of the energy she had deposited. It was all tuned to her mind so that only she could access the powers she had stored there. 

Dorlek might have weakened over time, but his queen remained as strong as ever. And she sensed her husband's weakness. Like a true predator she could smell weakness and fear. Her husband reeked! She was not deceived like those Dorlek commanded. She didn't fear her husband even though he was more powerful than she could hope to become. She saw the truth, that a well-placed knife was all that was required to end Dorlek's life. While her husband had seemingly given up on escape, Kali had discovered a way to breach the barrier sufficiently for her forces to break through. It was something her husband could never accomplish and benefit from. There was only one way to unleash the required mass of dark energy and the cost would be high, for him at least.

Her features were those of a woman in her forties who exercised and maintained a healthy lifestyle. She was not likely to win any beauty contests, but could not be described as ugly. The black makeup on her eyes and around her lips drew attention away from the orange tinge of her skin.

'I'm going to miss him,' she thought as she played with the dagger she had magically summoned. A small smile crossed her face, revealing her true ugliness. 'But not that much.'

~*~

Months had passed and another leading figure in Dorlek's command had vanished. The evil king had taken the opportunity to steal the energy unleashed at the moment of death and despite straining the containment spells holding him together, he had once again enhanced his powers. When power is unleashed spontaneously, the energy is far more potent than when released in combat. That was something Dorlek had come to realise. His followers were more powerful in death than they were in life and so it made sense to wait for them to vanish before draining their energies. 

Queen Kali was also aware of this point. In fact her plans relied on the theory being true.

Today she had brought the king to the edge of the barrier where he had made all of his previous attempts. It had taken a lot of arguing on her part before he had agreed to give the wall one more try. She had watched patiently as he had built his magical strength to its maximum, until she could practically touch the energy that crackled around him. She had encouraged him as he had drawn his blade and aimed his carved staff at the same spot he always picked.

"Good luck my love," she whispered, kissing his cheek while fighting the urge to vomit.

Her husband did not reply since he was already fighting against the power that sought to overwhelm him. She watched as he started to blast the barrier, the dagger appearing in her hand as she did so. She watched for several seconds before driving the dagger into his back and throwing him at the wall.

"Everybody down!" she shouted, drawing on her own powers to place force behind her voice.

Dorlek died as the blade pierced his wicked heart. Without his mind to control the energy he was unleashing it started to run wild. As she shoved him against the barrier, it was released in force against the wall. The whole area shook violently and for the first time it looked as if the power of the light wizards had been countered.

"Attack!" Kali ordered.

The shocked generals did not question her orders. She had slain their master and had taken his place in the hierarchy. She was their queen and they would obey her. They attacked, each more powerful than the last and all equally useless.

"Move," she hissed when the last of them had tried and failed.

She walked up to the wall, sensing the flow of energy within the barrier. She smiled happily as she saw in her mind's eye the damage that had been caused. It was not obvious, but she could sense the rupture with the structural spells. She reached out a delicate finger and pressed her painted nails against the wall.

"Crumble," she said.

It was barely whispered but all her followers hear the command. At first nothing happened and then the barrier exploded outwards and the folded space was torn open. Kali waited until the barrier had completely vanished before she relaxed her finger. That was how you made an impression.

"Any questions?" she asked as she felt the familiar embrace of her ex-husband's demon. She was the one with the power now and as she discarded the useless remains of Dorlek's staff and blade she knew that it was about time.

"All hail Kali!" one of the unseen generals cried.

"Kali, KAli, KALi, KALI!"

The chant was deafening and a show of her new power. Time was on her side and when the moment was right, after she had raised the son Dorlek never knew about who even now was kicking inside her, she would show the Universe how a true villain should behave. For now, the Universe would be her son's playground. The future was coming and from her viewpoint it held only darkness and despair. What a wondrous future it would be.

And elsewhere on the planet of Eltare, a young cleric looked up from his meditation. He had seen a nightmare vision of the future and it bore no relation to the petty campaign the Morphin Masters were fighting against the small groups of warlords that still inhabited the galaxy. Such battles were wasteful and arose not from a threat posed by the warlords, but the Morphin Masters' desire to avenge the loss of their original Morphin Academy on Phaedos. 

The things he had seen, the carnage and the unnecessary loss of life had scared him. In his heart he knew that the battle would take place in a different time and place when he would be helpless to assist those that would fight this foe, an enemy that might require the most unholy of alliances. That scared him more than anything.


End file.
